Marvel Avengers: Battle For Earth Announced For Wii U and Xbox 360 Kinect

Ubisoft has officially announced the rumored Avengers game for consoles. Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, in development for Wii U and Xbox 360 Kinect, will arrive this fall.

Battle for Earth actually isn't based on the recently released film. Instead, it draws inspiration from the "Secret Invasion" comic series. Captain America, Iron Man, and the other Avengers will face off against an alien race known as the Skrull. The Skrull are a shape-shifting species intent on taking over Earth.

"The idea that we’re making a motion-control version of The Avengers is a unique proposition if you compare that to superhero games of the past,” said Ubisoft vice president of sales and marketing Tony Key told the Associated Press. "This is the perfect type of game for that because these characters are very action oriented. They’re always fighting and throwing things."

The announcement was light on gameplay details. Presumably you'll be using the Wii U and Kinect motion controls to brawl with enemies. Over 20 characters from the Marvel Universe are featured. Hopefully Ubisoft Quebec will find a way to give each of the different heroes a distinct feeling. I'd be a bit disappointed if fighting as Thor was the same as fighting as the Hulk.

The fact that this game isn't a direct adaptation of the film is promising. The developers haven't rushed the game's production so its release will coincide with the movie hitting theaters. Also, a comic book series offers more story material to work with than a two-hour film.

Still, I was expecting something a bit larger scale from Ubisoft. I'd imagine there are a lot of Xbox 360 owners without Kinect or PS3 owners who are chomping at the bit for an Avengers game. The limited number of platforms for Battle for Earth makes me wonder whether Ubisoft has another game or two up their sleeve.